Clan Fraser itinerary

With its origins tracing from northern France, Clan Fraser was recorded in Scotland as early as 1160 and has been involved in many defining moments from the country’s history, including the famous Wars of Independence. Discover your Clan Fraser connections by following this fascinating ancestry itinerary around Stirling, Perthshire, Angus, Aberdeenshire and the Highlands.

Within Stirling Castle is a fascinating museum where you can uncover over 200 years of one of Scotland’s elite military regiments - the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. Here you will find the Victoria Cross of a brave Fraser, William Davidson Bissett who showed extraordinary leadership in France during the First World War.

Just south of Stirling city centre is the site of the Battle of Bannockburn, where in 1314 King Robert the Bruce routed the forces of King Edward II to win freedom for the Scots from English domination. Sir Alexander Fraser, from whom the senior Fraser line is descended, and his brother Sir Simon, ancestor of the Lovat Frasers, were both involved in this legendary battle.

Make the most of the fantastic accommodation available in Stirling and the surrounding area by staying overnight in this historic part of Scotland.

Start your journey to Arbroath, and if time allows why not stop off in Perth? Although it is Scotland’s newest city, Perth and the surrounding area is home to many historical attractions where you can find out about the lives of your ancestors. Explore the area’s artistic, social and natural history at Perth Museum and Art Gallery, and at the Black Watch Regimental Museum you can learn about yet another Clan Fraser Victoria Cross holder. Under heavy fire, John Simpson bravely saved the lives of two fellow soldiers at the attack on the Fort of Ruhya on 15 April 1858.

After Sir Alexander Fraser fought in the Battle of Bannockburn, he married the widowed sister of Robert the Bruce in 1316, became Chamberlain of Scotland in 1319, and in 1320 was one of the signatories of the Declaration of Arbroath. Today, Arbroath Abbey is home to a visitor centre where you can learn more about this key moment in Scotland’s history.

Journey up Scotland’s eastern coast to reach Aberdeen. Here, you can find connections with many famous Frasers, including Sir Alexander Fraser of Durris who was the personal physician to Charles II, Archibald Simpson, the architect and designer of some of the city’s most iconic buildings, and singer-songwriter Annie Lennox. Discover if you have your own connections with the Granite City at the Aberdeen & North-East Scotland Family History Society, and learn about Fraser connections with the Gordon Highlanders at the regiment’s museum on Viewfield Road.

Found 16 miles west of Aberdeen in Inverurie, the beautiful Castle Fraser was built by Michael Fraser, the sixth laird, between 1575 and 1636. Today it one of the grandest Scottish baronial tower houses, and there are plenty of woodland walks to enjoy in the surrounding area.

Head north west to the coastal town of Fraserburgh. Alexander Fraser, the eighth Laird of Philorth, is recognised as the founder of Fraserburgh as he erected a new church and extended the harbour originally built by his grandfather in 1546. You can learn more about Fraserburgh and its history at the Fraserburgh Heritage Centre, which is found next door to the Museum of Scottish Lighthouses.

Journey west along the coast to the Highland capital of Inverness. If time allows, stop off at Culloden Battlefield where the Frasers stood at the front line of the Jacobite army in 1745.

Inverness is a great base to explore the history and culture of the Highlands. Situated within Fort George, the Highlanders' Museum tells the story of the Highland Regiments from just after the Battle of Culloden to the present day. There is a section dedicated to the Lovat Scouts, raised by Simon Joseph Fraser 16th Lord Lovat in 1900, for use in the Boer War in South Africa.

Head to the village of Beauly, the heart of Fraser of Lovat country just 10 miles west of Inverness. Steeped in Fraser history, Beauly Priory is where many of the clans’ chiefs were buried including Hugh Fraser, the Third Lord Lovat who died at Blar nan Leintean (Battle of the Shirts) near Loch Lochy, fighting the Clan Ranald on behalf of his nephew. It is said that the battle got its name from the hot weather that led to both sides removing their plaids and fighting in their shirts.

If time allows, why not venture down the east side of Loch Ness? Surrounded by many of the traditional clan lands of the Frasers, this is a wonderful place to enjoy stunning mountain views, and you may even catch site of the world-famous monster.